Aspirin: Is A Daily Dose Too Risky?

Confused about your aspirin intake? Fair enough: Study after study either touts the benefits of daily aspirin supplementation, or else sounds an alarm about the risks. Now, yet another new report is suggesting that aspirin—when taken in conjunction with omega-3 fatty acids—can reduce the age-related inflammation that leads to lung disease, arthritis, and heart disease.

The research, conducted by a team out of Harvard and UCLA, found that aspirin triggers the production of resolvins (molecules that the body makes using omega-3 fatty acids). These resolvins "shut off" natural inflammatory responses that often do more harm than good inside the body.

Earlier research has tied aspirin to a reduced risk of stroke, protection against skin cancer, and even the reduction of multiple sclerosis symptoms. On the other hand, studies have also linked aspirin to dangerous internal bleeding and vision problems.

You’d be forgiven for feeling a bit befuddled by all this seemingly contradictory research. But while many women who would benefit from a daily aspirin aren’t taking one, that doesn’t mean you should run to the nearest drug store, says Michael Davidson, MD, director of preventative cardiology at the University of Chicago. “In general, I don’t recommend aspirin use unless a woman has cardiovascular disease,” Dr. Davidson says. “The risk of gastrointestinal bleeding outweighs the benefits.”

Davidson’s colleague at Chicago, Matthew Sorrentino, MD, agrees. Bleeding is the most common side effect of low-dose aspirin, and is especially prevalent among women over 65, Dr. Sorrentino notes. “Unless a women has multiple risk factors for heart disease or stroke, I typically don’t recommend regular aspirin use,” he says. What are the key risk factors? “High cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, cigarette smoking, or a strong family history of heart disease, among others,” Dr. Sorrentino says, citing a comprehensive review published in TheNew England Journal of Medicine for coming up with that reliable list.

So here’s the bottom line: If you have heart disease or several of the risk factors mentioned above, ask your doctor about taking a daily low-dose aspirin, Dr. Sorrentino suggests. But under no circumstances should a healthy woman—regardless of age—start taking low-dose aspirin without speaking to her doctor first. The potential benefits just don’t outweigh the risks, Dr. Davidson adds.